Chapter 2203

Zhu Yanyi closed her eyes. Wood energy flowed from her body, surrounding the five pots of plants. They grew fast and bloomed with bright flowers.

The flowers used for medicine shone brightly. Their power was at its peak. The plants used for roots saw their flowers fade and fall into the soil. The fallen flowers became food for the roots. The plants used for fruit saw their flowers shrink. Small fruits formed, turning from green to red, then to brown. They were truly ripe.

The five pots were ready. Zhu Yanyi opened her eyes. She looked at the plants and touched them gently. She felt their joy. Just now, her power had grown stronger again.

She looked at Dansheng. "Senior Brother Dansheng, I am done. How long will you take?"

Dansheng looked at her plants and sighed. "Your plants keep their best power. I have not finished yet. Even if I did, I would still lose. We demon cultivators accept defeat. But I am curious. You are human. How do you have magic stronger than our demon arts?"

Zhu Yanyi smiled softly. "I feel what the herbs feel. I tell them why they grow. No matter their form, they exist to save lives. So they grow happily. They know their mission. They know their worth."

Dansheng tilted his head. "Do you mean I do not know my worth?"

Zhu Yanyi smiled. "I never say that. Everyone has a value. In my hometown, we say, 'Heaven gives us talent for a reason.' It means this. Heaven lets us live because we have a purpose. Should we not use our value while we live?"

Dansheng frowned. "So our actions before were wrong?" He was very direct. He did not care if he offended anyone.

Zhu Yanyi liked her honesty. She nodded and shook her head. "I think it was wrong. But for you, I do not know. You must decide for yourselves."

She looked at Dansheng. "Right and wrong depend on your view. But remember, look from outside. Do not put yourself inside the game."

If you are outside, you see clearly. If you are inside, you are just a piece. You might make wrong choices.

"Thank you," Dansheng said. Then he added, "I lost." He walked off the stage.

Zhu Yanyi’s three matches were over. She stepped down. As she turned, someone walked up to her.

"My match is first tomorrow," he said.

"You?" Zhu Yanyi looked at her. Her face was square and cold.

"I am Che Wuzhe," he said. "I looked at everyone here. No one is as strong as you. I think fighting you is right. You did not fight much, but I believe you are the strongest."

Zhu Yanyi studied Che Wuzhe. She was smart and loved fighting. She wanted a battle. She did not ask how strong her will was. She just nodded. "If you are willing to wait, I will be on stage first tomorrow."

"Good." Che Wuzhe turned and left. He was not afraid others would take his spot. He had challenged her. Others would not step forward unless they could beat him.

Zhu Yanyi walked slowly to the rest area for the fifty contestants. She looked at the other stages. They were doing well.

The matches today went well. The medicine Zhu Yanyi gave was very strong. Unless they had to fight, they used the medicine if they knew they would lose. Using medicine was also a way to compete.

So, it was hard for the fifty people to lose.

Zhu Yanyi was happy with this result. This was what she wanted. Today was the first day. The fights before were just warm-ups. Today’s matches showed everyone many things. After many rounds, many people became quiet.

Their past pride seemed broken. Now, they only had disbelief.

Zhu Yanyi nodded slightly. She knew the next nine days would be fine.

"Tomorrow you fight Che Wuzhe. Are you not worried?" Ouyang Tianyun asked as he came down from the stage.

Zhu Yanyi shrugged. "Nothing to worry about. Che Wuzhe is a sword cultivator. A sword is very straight. If a sword user is a hero, a sword master is a person of justice. They are very upright. People who are not upright cannot understand the sword’s spirit. Without that spirit, they cannot grow stronger. So, trust Che Wuzhe."

"To be honest, I do not want to trust the others in the academy," Ouyang Tianyun said calmly. He had been in the Sage Academy for a long time. He loved it deeply. He hated seeing the students ruin it.

Zhu Yanyi shook her head. "Senior Brother Tianyun, people must look forward. On the way forward, there will always be bumps. Is this not true?"

Ouyang Tianyun looked at her. "I understand what you mean. But I cannot stop being angry."

"Anger is normal. Besides, I get angry too," Zhu Yanyi said with a smile. "Because these students ruined our academy. But…"

She paused. "But you must know, these students are part of the academy. The academy cannot only have us. There must be others. With others, all kinds of things happen. All we can do is guide these things to be good. Like now. Are we not doing that?"